Written in the Stars
by elphyandfiyero
Summary: Alex is forced to go on a trip with her worst enemy. Draco Malfoy. But soon she must make a decision. To follow her heart.....or break it.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

The castle washuge.Then again it **was** a castle. It defiantly was not like my school in America. The uniforms were different. If my uniform was a different color it would have looked cute on me. I stepped off the train and headed inside. I had no idea where to go. My seventh year was almost over and I was forced to move to a new school and start all over again. A strange girl came up to me. "Hello." She smiled.

"Hi" I said a little freaked out. Who wouldn't want some random girl came up to you with a very hyper smile?

"I'm Hermione Granger and I have a question for you." While I waited for her to continue I noticed the colors she wore. Red and gold. The colors of Gryffindor. The same colors as mine. My two brothers who walked with me stared at her with curiosity. "Are you from America?" She asked. I nodded.

"Why?" I asked.

"I just wanted to welcome the three of you to Hogwarts." I smiled and when I looked at my brothers they were still freaked out.

"Thank you. I'm Alex Dotson. These are my brothers Frank and David." David, my thirteen year old brother, looked around for other Ravenclaws. He was smart and very social with other students in his house. My other brother Frank, 15, seemed to me in his own world. He looked around but didn't really seem interested in the Hufflepuff girls that stared at him. To a lot of girls, Frank is very attractive but he's shy and quiet. For him it's sometimes hard to express himself. Hermione showed us to the Great Hall and showed us to our tables. At the Gryffindor table I met Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and the rest of the gang. Everyone seemed nice and friendly. Well, almost everyone. Across the room, light blue eyes starred at me. The other guys were laughing around him. Some even tried to get his attention but he was smirking at me.

"What are you looking at?" Hermione asked. I just shrugged. I had never seen the guy in my life. The others tried to look at what I was looking at but I couldn't say anything. Something about him made my stomach churn. To me that was a bad sign. He smirk was even worse. "Ugh, that's Draco Malfoy." I didn't say anything. Hermione pointed and told me all of names of the teachers. Of course, in about five minutes I was sure to forget each and everyone of them. After breakfast, I followed Hermione and the others to our first class. Charms with the Slytherins. The professor walked up a few books to get to his podium. I handed him my transfer note and took a seat next to Harry and Ron.

"It seems we have a new student. Miss Alex Dotson." The professor pointed to me and I gave a little wave. Again, I saw those eyes. His smirk made me want to slap him. "Let's all give her a welcome at some time today." One of Draco's friends whispered something in his hear and his smirk seemed to grow. That never turned out well. The professor rambled on with his lesson. I had already learned this lesson so I had just tuned things it out. The bell rang and I walked to my next class. As I was walking, people were pointing and laughing at me. I looked at Ron, and Harry but they just shrugged. Hermione ran up behind me and dragged me into the bathroom.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" I asked. She pointed to my back. I looked in the mirror and glared. At the end of my bottom was a giant tail that swayed back and forth. Hermione waved her wand and the tail disappeared. "Thanks." I mumbled and stormed out of the bathroom. Harry and Ron where waiting for us but they weren't the ones I was looking for.

"Did you see her face?" A boy said laughing. I turned my head and sure enough he was laughing. Draco Malfoy was going to get it. I smirked, getting an idea randomly in my head.

"Hey, Malfoy." I said to get his attention. When he turned around, I waved my wand. He looked down and gasped. The hallway erupted with laughter. "The twins look good on you." I said pointing to his big chest. Harry and Ron nearly died laughing. Hermione didn't seem as pleased.

"Come on, we have to go before a teacher comes out in the hallway." She said dragging me by the arm to our next class. Malfoy glared at me.

"I _will_ get you back for this." He warned.

"Bring it on." I smirked. I wasn't afraid of him. He was just a boy. What's the worst he could do? Unfortunately, I found out later. As the three of us were heading to dinner, people were crowding around the Gryffindor table. Well almost everyone. The Slytherins were still sitting at their table and they were pointing and laughing. Frank ran up to me and grabbed my hand. "Frankie what is going on?" I asked as he dragged me to the table. He was practically shoving people out of the way. Before he could say anything to me, I saw her. Duchess, my owl, lied on the table. Her wings were spread out and she wasn't moving. The letter was still clutched in her beak. From the handwriting on the front I could tell that it was from my mother. I picked up my bird. Duchess was _my_ owl. She was the only thing I didn't have to share.

"What is it?" Hermione asked behind me. I turned around with my pet in my arms. She gasped and examined my bird. "She's going to be alright." She smiled. "Your owl is only petrified." I turned towards the Slytherin table. Draco raised his glass with a smirk before taking a sip. That only meant one thing to me. This. Was. **War.** He was going to get it and he was going to get it bad. "Come on." Hermione said as she ushered me out. I followed her to the infirmary. As we walked we walked in silence, I was already planning what my next move would be. The next day in charms class, I was one of the first people in. I sat in my chair and waited. When the bell rang, people slowly started to enter. Finally, he walked in with his friends and sat in his usual seat. The professor hadn't come in yet so now was my chance to strike. I positioned my wand very carefully so as for him not to see it. I mumbled the spell under my breath and his chair started to move. It shook left and right and he clutched his chair for dear life. The look on his face was priceless. Everyone was laughing. Even his friends were laughing. Then the professor walked in. I put my wand way and Draco's chair stopped moving. He hadn't seen the professor yet because he took out his wand and pointed it at me.

"Rictersemperia!" He shouted. I flew in the air and did a summersault before hitting the wall.

"Expeleramus!" The professor shouted at Draco. "Both of you. Detention. Saturday. In here. Now all of you get back to your seats." Draco and I slowly sat in our seats while glaring at each other.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"No, I think one of my ribs is broken." But I didn't dare clutch my side to show that I was in pain. Every time I took a breathe I wanted to cry but I held it in. After class, Hermione and I went straight to the infirmary where I was given a potion and then back off to class. The rest of the week went like that. Everyday either Draco or I would walk into the infirmary. Sometimes it was twice a day with both of us. I hated him with a fiery passion that burned deep within my soul. On Saturday I walked in Professor Binns classroom and sat at a desk while I waited. It wasn't long before the professor and Draco both walked in.

"Now," The professor squeaked. "Both of you will scrub the floors." He handed the two of us tiny toothbrushes. "I will take your wands now." The two of us handed him our wands and he walked out. On the floor, were buckets already filled with water and soap. I started scrubbing. Suddenly, something hard hit my head. I looked down at the other toothbrush and glared at Draco. He had that stupid smirk planted on his face. I threw his back at him and started scrubbing again. Soon after I was hit again with the same toothbrush. This was childish. He was throwing a **toothbrush** at me like he was seven. Again, I threw it back and again he threw it back at me. "Throw it at me one more time Malfoy and see what happens." Draco smirked and threw it at me a just for his fun. That's when I snapped. I jumped on him and started punching him. I didn't care what would have happened if I got caught. I didn't even care if I was to get expelled. At this point, I would have done anything just to get away from him. He didn't even know me and yet he was playing tricks on me.

"Enough!" A voice boomed. I looked up at Professor Dumbledore and punched Draco in the face one more time before getting off of him. I stepped back and admired my 'artwork.' His face was bloody, scared, bruised and his bottom lip was cut. Just the look on his face made me feel better. "Now." The professor continued. "Normally, I would send you to my office but I think the infirmary would do better." The two of us followed him and he lectured us all the way there. I didn't look at him. I just stared straight ahead and tuned everything out. "Do I make myself clear?" He asked. I nodded even though I didn't even know what he was talking about. Basically, that's how the year went. Draco and I would fight, we would get detention together and eventually wind up in professor Dumbledore's office. The year was finally over and we were graduating. When everything was done, I packed my things up and headed to the train.

"Alex!" David shouted above the crowd. I found him and the two of us found Frank. We sat on the train together and waited until we got home. There our parents were waiting for us.

"Ready for our summer trip?" My father asked. The three of us nodded and headed out to our car. The ride to our house seemed to take forever. "Alex." My father said shaking me. "We're here." I sat up and looked at our new house. Well, it was still new to me. Everything was different and I was still getting used to it. Thankfully, we were already getting ready for our traditional summer trip. I ran inside and my Greyhound Jezebel ran to me. She jumped up and down for joy.

"Remember." My mother said as she walked in the door. "Don't get too comfortable." I nodded and headed up to my room to sort out my dirty laundry. I seemed lighter than air as I walked. No more school, no more tests to study for and defiantly no more Malfoy. Jezebel lied down on my bed and watched me as I took everything out of my suitcase. When I finished, I went to the music room and started to write my song. Jezebel followed me to keep me company. For years I have been trying to write a song but never found the right notes. I sat on the chair and my loyal companion sat on the floor watching me. Hours later my mother walked in with a plate of food. "Thought you might be hungry." She smiled.

"Thanks." I told her. I continued with my playing but my mom stayed there. Usually, when she would stay to listen to me she would sit next to me. But this time she was still standing. I stopped playing and looked up at her. "Something wrong?" I asked.

"No," She said. "Just wanted to let you know that we're having a guest come with us on our trip. Now I want no arguing or fussing." I didn't know what she was talking about but I just nodded in agreement. David ran in but wasn't looking very happy.

"Mom, he's here." My mother thanked him and told us to come down to meet him. I looked at my brother curiously. "You're not going to like it." He mumbled. I walked down the stairs and into the living room. At first I didn't see anyone but my father in the living room. Then our revolving chair that was facing my father turned around. I nearly dropped dead right then and there. My heart stopped beating and I was so shocked I had forgotten how to breathe. Draco Malfoy didn't seem to happy at all. Finally, I regained my composure.

"What is he doing here?" I glared.

"Now, Alex I know you two haven't been getting along but we made a promise to his father. His father who just so happens to be my boss at work. Draco's parent's will be away on business for the summer. So I agreed to let him come with us." I tried to head back to my room so that I could scream into my pillow. "Stop." My father said. I stopped but didn't turn around. "Will you please show Draco to his room?" My fists clenched tightly and I sighed. There was no way I could argue my way out of this one. I would never win when it came to my father. I heard footsteps which meant Draco had gotten up from his seat. I walked up the stairs not saying anything to him. Why should I, after how he treated me? When we reached the top step, I was smashed against the wall. Those icy blue eyes were starring at me. That smirk was planted on his face. What was he going to do? I glared at him and kicked him in the shins. Draco keeled over in pain.

"You're room's right here." I said opening a door before going back to the music room. I played some fast music to get all the adrenaline out of my system. The door slowly opened and Jezebel walked in to resume her spot next to me. Right behind her was my mother.

"You alright?" She asked. I nodded not looking at her. "Liar." Which was true but if I told her what happened she would overreact. So would my father. My mother sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I just kept playing for a few minutes. Eventually, I slowed down the pace of the music and closed my eyes. "Now are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Again, I didn't stop playing.

"I'm not going." I said. "I'll just stay here. Tell Ashanti, I'll see her soon. I'll visit her once he goes back home." My mom shook her head.

"No ma'am. You are going. Ashanti needs to see you at her wedding." I stopped playing and looked at her. "Plus, what's wedding without the maid of honor?"

"And I will be there. I know when it is. But I am not going with _Draco_ there. After the wedding ceremony, I will come back here. End of story."

"No, not end of story. You are going and that is final." I was about to say something but she interrupted me. "Final!" She said. I closed my mouth. My mother kissed my head and left. For awhile, I just sat there and stared at the keys. I didn't know what to play. I didn't know what to do. If I went on our trip, I would end up killing Draco. We would drive each other nuts. Life is never fair.


	2. Chapter 2: The tribe

_There is no way I am going._ I thought. I was pacing in my room for the millionth time. Jezebel lied on my bed watching me pace back and forth. "I'm not going." I said aloud. "They can't make me go." I told her. "I refuse to go. I'll stay here with you. We can play fetch, invent new games. We could even go the park that you like so much." I stopped and placed my hands on my hips facing her. "What do you think? You in?" Jezebel jumped off my bed and went in my closet. What was she doing? She pulled out my suitcase and looked at me. She seemed to be saying, _Go. I'll be fine._ I sighed and thought about it for a minute. "Not you too." The door opened and my father walked in. Jezebel walked up to him so that he could pet her. "So you're behind all of this." My father looked at me strangely.

"What?" He asked. I pointed at my luggage. "Ah, so you have decided to go." I shook my head.

"No, Jezebel thinks that I should go. I still refuse." My father walked over to my bed and sat down. He patted the bed for me to sit next to him. I almost didn't but I did and sat next to him. "Please don't make me go, daddy."

"I'll try not to but that's why I'm here. You need to go. There's a wedding that you must attend. There can't be a wedding without the maid of honor." He smiled at me.

"I told mom that I would go but leave after the wedding. And that's it." I said. My father wrapped an arm around me.

"But what about the children?" He asked. "You can't leave them so soon." I glared at him. Of course he had to bring them up. "They'll cry if you leave."

"Dad." I whined. "That's not fair. That's playing dirty." He laughed and got up to walk out.

"Start packing. We're leaving in the morning." He chuckled as he closed the door. I looked at Jezebel.

"You're such a traitor." I told her. She walked over to me and placed her head on my lap. Those eyes were killing me. I tried to resist but she was too cute. I sighed and rubbed her head. "As always, you win." I started to pack everything and went to bed. Well I almost did. In the middle of the night I felt a cold nose rub against my head. I lifted my head and glared at Jezebel in the dark. "What?" I asked. She grabbed my shirt and dragged me out of bed. "It's not time to go yet. I still have a few more hours." But she insisted that I follow her. So I did. I followed her downstairs. The kitchen light was on. I assumed it would be a member of my family but when I peeked my head in I saw Draco sitting at the counter with a glass of something. He had his head in his hand and his other hand on the cup. Jezebel walked in and sat next to him. I froze and tried to hide while I could still see what was going to happen. He seemed tense. It looked like he had never had a dog before since he didn't know what to do. Jezebel was getting a little antsy. I walked in and got a treat out of the cupboard and gave it to her. He seemed to be watching me as if waiting for me to kill him or something. Although, I wouldn't mind doing that. I got myself a glass of water and then walked back to my room. So what if he was up? I didn't care. I'd rather push him off a cliff.

In the morning I brought all my stuff downstairs. Draco was waiting for the rest of us in front of the fireplace. I laughed at him. "We're not taking the fireplace. We're not even apparating."

"Alex!" My mother said. I shrugged and took my things to the car. I heard her trying to apologize to him for me. I headed up to my room to make sure that I had gotten everything. When I walked in, the door immediately closed and locked. Draco was glaring at me. He walked up to me in about two strides.

"If you _ever _talk like that to me again you will never hear the end of it." I crossed my arms.

"And what are you going to do? Hit me? Please. You're on _my _turf. Anything you do to me will haunt you for the rest of your life." I said. "Got everything packed cause we're about ready to leave." I walked out of the room and headed to the car. What a long drive/flight it was. The whole way, I almost punched Draco because he was talking so much about muggles. "Muggle-this" and "muggle-that." I wanted to punch his face in. But finally we arrived in the village of Sauri in South Africa. My second home. The village my family and I have been coming to since I was little. As we walked in the village heads turned towards us and smiled. Immediately, it felt good to be back.

"Hey!" A familiar face shouted. My mother ran to him and embraced my older brother. They let go and he gave me a giant bear hug. My big brother was always taller and bigger than me. He was fairly built and looked like a younger version of my father.

"Leon!" I gasped. He let go and apologized. "It's good to see you too." Leon looked at Draco and then me. Before I could say anything the chief walked out of his hut and opened his arms.

"My friends!" He smiled. "Welcome back." Him and my father exchanged a tight hug. The chief smiled at me and the others. But when he got to Draco, his face changed. "And who is this?"

"Ah, forgive me Chief Jukun. This is Draco Malfoy. He'll be staying with us while we're here. He's a friend of the family." My father said. Draco wasn't really paying attention. He was looking around trying to take everything in. I couldn't tell of his expression because he was looking away from me. The children of the village, however, seemed to be fascinated with his white skin and white hair.

"Wonderful. Another guest." Chief Jukun caught Draco in a bear hug. I covered my smile. The chief seemed to be cutting off Draco's air supply. When the chief let go and backed up, it gave the children permission to greet him. Draco tensed as the children ran up to him and laughed. They were touching him with curiosity. A little girl tugged on my shirt. I picked her up and kissed her head. Nalu was only seven but she was very small for her age. She wrapped her arms around me to give me a hug.

"How are you?" I asked once she let go. I just continued to hold her in my arms.

"I'm good. Ashanti will be very happy that you are here." I put her down and Nalu ran off to find her older sister. Draco did not look happy.

"Alright," I told them. "Time to get ready for the feast!" I said. The children cheered and ran back to their huts to get ready. Tonight, as tradition with our arrival, would be our welcoming festival.

"This way Draco." My father said. "The men get ready on the other side of the village. Draco followed my father while I followed my mother. All the women of the tribe seemed to ask us so many questions about the 'snow man.'

"He just doesn't get out in the sun a lot." I said as I put on my Kanga. Since tonight was the festival, I decided to tie it as the traditional African dress. As I walked out I saw the children following Draco. He did not look happy. He wasn't even in his Ma'awis. I stopped him. "Where are you going?" I asked him.

"I'm trying to get away from these _children_!" Draco spat. "They won't stop following me." Draco stopped in front of me and the children stopped behind him. One of the girls raised her arms in the air, wanting for me to pick her up. I did and kissed her cheek. "What _are _you wearing?" Draco asked.

"It's called a Kanga. It's traditional what the tribal member wear. You need to go put on your Ma'awis. It's what the men wear. My brothers will show you how to put it on." He held the piece of fabric in the air. I didn't even realize that he was holding it.

"What happens if I don't wear this?" Draco asked.

"They'll cut off your manhood. And they usually pick the first volunteer to do the job. Oh and by the way, there will be someone to do the job." I smiled with a twinkle in my eye. Little did he know that I would have been the first to volunteer. Draco glared at me and stormed off back to his hut. The little children giggled and followed. I put down the little girl and she followed the others.

"Everything alright?" My mother asked.

"Yeah, he was just having a little trouble with his Ma'awis." As it was getting dark, the tribal members came out in their traditional face paint. I hadn't even seen Ashanti yet. Where was she? That's when I heard her voice.

"Alex!" She screamed. I turned around and we ran towards each other. We hugged and started jumping up and down. We pulled apart and her smile could not have been any bigger. "My dear Alex. It has been too long."

"You say that every year." I giggled. She shrugged and smiled. "So," I said. "Where is this future husband of yours?" Ashanti turned around and looked for him. She pointed to a man who was talking to Bohlale, the wise man in the village. The boy was tall, looked older than my other brother but not as built.

"His name is Kibwe. He is very nice." I smiled at her. Since she was born, she always had an arranged marriage but was never told the name of her future husband until it became time for her wedding. "Before I found out we have talked some. I've gotten to know him."

"Well, I'm happy for you and glad it wasn't Isoke." We looked at Isoke who was trying to talk to another girl. If there was ever a nerd in the tribe it was Isoke. But Isoke was very nice and sweet but he talked too much about bugs and nature. Ashanti and I laughed. Leon sat on the other side of the fire and looked around for someone. He spotted her and pointed at me. Tapiwa, Leon's wife, saw me and came towards me with a big smile on her face. From a distance it looked like she was carrying a loaf of bread in her other Kanga that was wrapped around her neck. But I knew better. We hugged and I looked at my nephew.

"Hello little one." I said. "Hello Asita." I looked up at Tapiwa. "He's beautiful." I smiled. She kissed her child and nodded.

"I'm so happy he finally has a chance to meet you. I just wish you could have been here for the birth." Leon came up behind her.

"It's time to start." He said and I waved goodbye to the two of them. Ever since Leon married the chief's daughter, he had to sit next to the chief every time the tribe gather around the fire. I waved goodbye to Ashanti as she went to sit next to her father and future husband. As I sat down, many of the children seemed to sit next to them. Ashanti picked up a little girl and placed her on her lap. The chief stood up and a hush fell over the crowd. That's when I noticed that Draco was sitting next to me. I looked at him and couldn't help but snicker. Even in the dark, his chest seemed white. This guy needed a major suntan. And what better way to get tan than in Africa. Everyone stared at me.

"My apologizes chief. Please continue." The chief smiled at me and began with the ritual. Draco leaned over so that only I could hear him.

"So what exactly is this?" He asked.

"Just a ceremony to welcome us to the tribe once again. That and welcome a new comer." I whispered back. Draco sat back and started to watch. The chief began to start his welcoming speech. It was the same as always. That he was glad to have us back again and that he welcomed Draco into the tribe. It didn't take long for him to finish and soon everyone was dancing and celebrating. Draco sat on the sidelines just watching everything with disgust. I looked around and stopped my mother.

"Where's dad?" I asked. She smiled.

"Where do you think?" She pointed to another fire that was going in the short distance. My father was standing up and jumping around. His expression was very strong and wild. I smiled and walked over. This was his usual story telling. The children of the tribe loved my father's stories. When I walked up to the fire, no one looked at me. Everyone, including my father, were very into the story. The children's eyes were glued to his every movement. I stood in the back and smiled at my father's energy.

"The evil giant slowly crept behind the house. Each step slowly stomped into the ground. His big monstrous arms reached for the door knob." The children gasped and they waited for my father to continue.

"What" I jumped at the voice now at my ear. "Is your father doing?" I slowly turned around and grabbed Draco's arm to take him further away.

"My father likes to tell ghost stories to the children and the children like to hear it." I said.

"One more question. Why did you drag me away?" He asked folding his arms. For some reason he was smirking again but I couldn't tell why.

"Because if you interupt the mood of the story, the children will attack you." I turned around and went back to the fire. Now all the children seemed even more into the story. Some of their mouths seemed more open then before. I sat in front of the tree in the back and continued to listen in. The sound of my father's voice seemed comforting and at home. Although, I wasn't scared of the story anymore, I still loved to hear all the stories my father had to tell. Each one was special and it always had a deeper meaning to it. One of the girls got up and came up to me. She wanted someone to hold her. When I wrapped my arms around her, she was shaking and it wasn't because she was cold. I smiled and assured her everything was ok. Everything _was _ok. In the tribe to little children, that's how it always is.


	3. Chapter 3: Dacia

"So," Ashanti smiled. "Tell me about this 'snow man' of yours." I rolled my eyes and I hugged my knees. Draco was never a topic I wanted to talk about. This morning, Ashanti and I were sitting on the outside of the village and watching the sunrise. It was about halfway which meant I was trapped. The pact we once made was never leave a conversation if the sun isn't up. All the way up. I sighed and looked at her.

At the moment, there weren't really a few people out. Some of the village mothers were preparing a morning fire for breakfast. Some children were even starting to wake up and run around. "Do we _really_ have to talk about him?" I whined. She laughed and nodded. "No, don't make me talk about him. Please!" Again, she laughed but urged me to continue. "Fine." I glared. "But I'll get you back. He's just a guy from school that somehow ended up coming with us."

"And" She said trying to make me continue.

"Aaaaaaah!!" Ashanti and I turned around. Both of our eyes almost shot out of our faces. Draco Malfoy ran out his hut shaking something off of him.

"And apparently he sleeps in his boxers." Ashanti and I looked at each other before we started laughing. The people who were already awake watched and laughed at him as he jumped like a monkey.

"I have to hand it to you, Alex. The boy can jump." Ashanti said. A group of teenage boys were laughing louder than the others. One of them picked up a lizard and tossed him at him. David and Frank walked out with smiles on their faces. They were already dressed and ready for the day. Draco glared at the boys and stormed back into the hut to change into his clothes. Leon sat next to me with his son in his arms.

"And what was that about?" I asked. Leon smiled and handed me my nephew. "What did daddy do this time?" I asked Asita.

"_I _didn't do anything. It was all their fault." Leon pointed to the boys in the tribe that were still laughing. "They put a lizard on his lap while he was sleeping. You just saw the after math of it all." Again Draco stormed back out with a piece of parchment and he seemed to be looking for something. I gave Leon his son back and told them that I would return. I had to run to catch up to Draco.

"Can I ask what your looking for?" I asked. He stopped and turned abruptly to look at me.

"Where can I get an owl to mail this?" Draco said as he held up the letter. I could tell there were several holes in it which meant that he had gotten very angry when he was writing it.

"First off you can't find an owl out here. It's almost impossible and second if you ever did find an owl, the owl would most likely die before actually reaching its destination." He crinkled up the paper. "But," I said as I took it. "We can mail it another way." I walked back to the village with him on my tail. At the end of the village was a little mail box. I placed the letter in the box and turned to face him. "And your father will get the letter in a few weeks. Maybe more. I don't really know."

"Wait," He stopped me. "How did you know it was to my father?" I had to let out a small laugh.

"Please, it really is that obvious." I said and walked back in the village.

"You're telling me that he won't get that later for a month." Draco shouted. Several people began to watch. Even the chief who just walked out of his hut seemed to be watching us. But one face in particular seemed to smile and make me feel very uncomfortable. The wise man of the tribe watched every step that we took. I stopped and looked at him with curiosity. They way he studied us didn't seem like a very good sign. Either he was planning something or he knew something. Neither one was every good when it came to him. Draco stood in front of me so I could see his face.

"What do you want?!" I asked finally turning my face towards him.

"I want an owl or to apparate somewhere so my father can get me out of here." He folded his arms and we glared at each other.

"Look, the only way you're ever going to get out of here is if you take a plane yourself. If not that then you're stuck here." I walked past him but Draco was determined to yell at me for no reason. "Will you leave me alone? What is your problem?" He was about to say something but my mother stopped us both.

"Alex. There's something you need to see." I looked up at my mother and she didn't look very happy. Was someone hurt? Was someone else here to ruin my life? The only way to answer my question was to follow her. For some reason Draco did too. I guess it was out of curiosity. My mother took us outside of the village and through the forest. Still, I had no idea what she was up to or what is was that I had to see. Then I saw her. A few of the villagers were holding her down since she was very excited to see me. Ashanti looked up at me and gave me a some what warm smile. That was never a good sign.

"Oh Dacia." I sighed. The giant elephant hollered for me to come closer. "Ok sweetie. I'm coming." I told her. She seemed to calm as I started to walk. "What's wrong with her?" I asked Ashanti.

"Besides missing you so much, she's been very ill. It all started after she had Tembe." I looked over at the little one. Other men were trying to keep the baby elephant away from it's mother so he wouldn't become ill himself. No doubt whatever she had, it was very contagious. I crouched down and gently stroked Dacia's head. "She's been having a fever and the doctors don't know why." Dacia seemed weak and tired.

"She needs fluids." I said. As soon as I got up, so did Dacia with much difficulty. "Alright. You. Lake. Now." I told her. She started to walk and the baby tried to follow but they wouldn't let him. "It's ok guys. He can follow her as long as he keeps a distance." The men nodded and tried to keep Tembe a few feet behind his mother. My heart ached each time he cried for his mother. Several times, she even turned around to get to her child but I continued to tell her to walk to the lake. "Water first. Then baby." I told her. Dacia turned around and started drinking. I stroked the side of her head. Draco was soon beside me.

"What is that?" He asked.

"_She _is an elephant. She's also the first animal friend that I made here. I guess you can say that ever since she was born, she's been following me. Her name's Dacia. In the tribe, elephant's are considered delicate and holy. Well, this one anyone. To them, she has brought the tribe luck and good fortune." Draco didn't believe me.

"How is that possible?" He asked. "An animal is never lucky neither does it bring good fortune."

"Ok." I said. "If you think that this animal is not so lucky nor does she bring good fortune then explain to me this. Ever since she was born, the tribe has always had a good wet climate. Never once has the climate dried out their crops. Explain that one." Draco didn't look at me. Instead, he looked straight ahead and didn't say a word. "That's what I thought." He was about to walk away but someone stopped him. Draco jumped as Tembe tried to take a hold of his hand. I laughed and Draco glared at me. "Oh calm down. It just means that he likes you. As a friend of course."

"Just get him away from me." Draco said as he tried to back away.

"That's kind of impossible since now that he likes you he will most likely follow you everywhere. Wait, this is good. Now you can keep the baby away while I try and take care of his mother." He looked at me with a curious expression.

"You want me to do what?" He asked.

"Just go by the tree. Tembe will follow." He was about to protest but I beat him to it. "Just leave and make sure the baby follows you." He groaned and walked away. Dacia drank as much water as she could before I made her stop. Now that she had all fluids in her, she needed food. The food was the easiest part seeing as she was still hungry. "Now get some rest." I told her before leaving. The men of the tribe brought Tembe back to his mother. Dacia protested as I walked away. I could already tell that this was going to be a long night. By sundown most everyone had gone to sleep. I sat by Dacia as she slowly drifted off to sleep. In the distance a twig snapped. Both of us jumped but I shushed Dacia when I realized it was just Draco. "What are you doing still up?" I asked. "It's late."

"Not really." He said. "By my clock it's only eight."

"Yes, but here when the sun goes down that means it's late." I told him. Tembe got up and walked toward Draco. I tried to stop Tembe from actually getting up but it was too late. Tembe wrapped his trunk around Draco's arm and pulled him toward me.

"What are you doing?" He asked the little elephant. Draco tried to get his arm back but wasn't having much luck. Instead, he was forced to sit by me as I petted Dacia gently. Tembe took his spot next to Draco so that he couldn't escape. "Seems that I'm stuck here until he falls asleep." I chuckled as Tembe laid his head on Draco's lap. "He is a curious animal." Tembe hollered and Draco covered his ears. "He's loud too." I chuckled and took some banana's from beside me. I handed them to Tembe and he seemed to quiet down. "How do you know some much about the, uh"

"Elephant?" I asked.

"Yes, that." I smiled and rubbed Tembe's head.

"Because I've been coming here since I was little. I helped raise Dacia when she was born. That and it's what I want to do pretty soon." I said.

"Do what?" He asked. Behind Draco I could see Leon sitting by a fire just watching us with curious eyes. Soon my mother came over to sit down next to him. Of course that was never a good sign since they gossiped like two old ladies.

"Became a traveling vet. I want to help them all. In a way they all fascinate me. Dragon's especially. Did you know that dragon's not only have the same senses as we do but they can also read people? They can sense fear, love, hate, courage. They can sense it all if it's strong enough." Draco just starred at me. "Anyway, it's what I want to do. No need asking in what you want to do."

"Why?" He asked. "You hardly know me? You only went to Hogwarts for a few months."

"And yet I went to every Quidditch game. The way you and Harry fight it out. Now _that _is obvious." The wind began to blow and I closed my eyes. The breeze at night was the best. The sound of the trees moving was like music to my ears.

"What is?" Draco asked bringing me back down to earth.

"That you want to do whatever it is Harry Potter wants to do. That way you can show the world that you're better than him." Draco glared at me.

"You have" I shushed him since Dacia was about to move. He didn't have any idea how long it took me to actually get her asleep. Draco started to talk quieter. "You have no idea how wrong you are. For your information, I want to be a seeker."

"Just like Harry. Who'd of thought?" I smiled proving my point. Draco tried to get up but Tembe wouldn't let him.

"Is there anyway to get this **beast away from me!!**" Again, I shushed him. If Dacia woke up I was likely to kill him. I looked back at Leon and my mother. Well, now it was just Leon but still I didn't trust him watching us. Something was going on in that head of his. I could see those wheels turning.

"Tembe, up." I said. Tembe got up and I told him to lay down next to me. He followed and again Draco stared at me.

"You mean to tell me that you could have done that all along?" Draco asked. This time I looked at him curiously. He shook his head in disgust and stormed off. I rolled my eyes and continued to tend to Dacia. Thankfully, she was still asleep and Tembe was just about to dose off. I rested my head on Dacia and tried to get a few shut eyes myself. Had I know what my dream was going to be about, I would have stayed awake.


	4. Chapter 4: Unexpected

Written In the Stars 4

I woke up with a start. My heart was racing, my body drenched in sweat. Nightmares. I shuddered at the thought of last night's dream, and looked around to try and distract my mind. I realized that instead of waking up by Dacia and Tembe, I was all alone.

I sat there for a while, scanning the area for any big animals, when I was startled by a loud scream coming from far behind me. I waited, curiosity taking over, to see what was going on.

When I saw him break through the trees, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Help me!" He was screaming, flailing his arms about in every direction, Tembe not far behind him, his trunk going wild. Dacia was running after Tembe and she didn't look happy. Actually, she looked spooked and worried more than anything.

I tried to tell her to stop, to calm down, but she just kept running. That's when I realized they were heading straight for me. _Oh, crap_. I thought.

Draco passed me, and not long after I found it wise to follow him.

I could hear the villagers yelling at the elephants to stop, but nothing was working. This wasn't like either one of them. They don't just start going off on a rampage. No, something must have startled them…but what?

It didn't take long before we were running in the forest at the other end of the village. Draco was panting hard and I could see his legs starting to drag a little. I had to act fast. If I didn't, the elephants would catch up to us and, we'd be dead meat, without a doubt. I grabbed Draco by the shirt and turned left. Dacia and Tembe just kept on going.

I leaned against a tree and slid to the ground holding my side; my lungs were burning! I looked at Draco. Apparently, he was just as bad. He was collapsed on the ground, his eyes closed, and his chest rising and falling fast. "What…did…you…do?" I gasped.

"Nothing. They just started chasing when I was trying to get some water." Draco panted.

I looked over toward where both elephants had gone and after a second of catching my breath started to get up.

"Where are you going?" Draco suddenly asked.

I turned around to find his eyes wide open staring straight at me. I just stared right back "To get my elephant back." I said, and then I turned and started to jog.

Dacia was like my child. I worried for her, and she worried for me. If something was wrong and bugging her I wanted to know what it was, and how to fix it. But what startled her that badly? Was it just Draco's sudden appearance at the river? Did something sneak up on her? Or was it something else all together? The possibilities to this one were endless.

I soon found them in a small clearing. Tembe was huddled under Dacia for protection, and Dacia was keeping a watchful eye. Something had to have snuck up on her, spooked her, made her feel threatened. There is no way she'd act like this because of Draco.

"Hey." I said softly as I slowly walked up to her; I didn't want to send her into another freak attack. "It's ok. I'm here." I began to stroke her trunk. After a minute or two she began to loosen up a bit; she wrapped her trunk around my waist and Tembe, who'd crawled out from under his mommy, wrapped his around my leg. "See? Everything is alright." I patted her on the head.

"Are they alright?" I heard from behind me. I turned around to find Draco walking up._ He must have followed me here. Huh…_That sent my mind onto a long trail of thought, and apparently it showed on my face.

"What?" He asked, looking himself up and down to make sure nothing was missing.

I quickly shook my head clear and tried to act indifferent. "Nothing. They seem to be alright; just a little scared. Did you see anything down at the river other than them?" I asked.

He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No…"

Other people had reached the clearing by now, Leon being one of the first.

"Everyone alright?" He asked. I nodded and looked at Dacia. I could still feel her heart racing. "What happened?"

"They just got scared for some reason." I shrugged. I didn't know. I hadn't been there at the scene.

It took awhile, but we were able to get them back to the village where they could rest up a bit. As everyone started walking their own ways, Leon placed an arm around Draco.

"So, Draco, are you going to go hunting with us?" My brother asked. What was he doing? Of course Draco would say no. He was too chicken to hunt. It always takes the bravest men to go hunting…especially, when your only weapon is a spear. Draco looked at my brother and shook his head like he was crazy. "If there's one thing you need to experience while you're here, it's hunting. That, and if you don't the chief will be very offended." One of the little boys took Draco's hand and began to drag him to a hut to get ready. I stopped Leon.

"Is that true?" I didn't believe the chief to be that uptight.

"No." He chuckled and went to get ready. Apparently, no matter what his decision was, Draco was going.

The sun was setting by the time they got back. At first, I saw them carrying something on a stick—it looked big; a wonderful catch—but then I saw what one of the tribal men was carrying. The body of Penha stayed limp in his father's arms.

Imani, my mother's best friend, fell to her knees and cried for her little boy. He was hardly recognizable, he was so scratched up.

When I looked back at their catch, I saw that it was no regular deer or buffalo. It was a Leopard. No one had to ask what happened. Everyone filled in the blanks. It wasn't that hard.

Draco couldn't look at anyone. He just quietly walked into his hut, his eyes firm on the ground in front of him. But, he couldn't hide forever; he had to attend the celebration.

While everyone in the tribe danced, Dumisani, Penha's younger brother, sat over to the side hugging his knees. Draco leaned over to me. "Why do they celebrate his death?"

"They're celebrating the life that he lived and the fact that he's in a better place now." I told him. "In heaven, it's a place of peace and love. His family knows that it's a good place for him. That's why everyone seems so happy. Well…most everyone." I said as I looked back at Dumisani. His mother sat next to him, her face still wet with old tears. The chief had pulled Imani aside, leaving Dumisani all alone.

Through the fire I could see his wet cheeks, and my heart just went out to him. I walked over and sat next to him. Without missing a single beat, he hugged me tightly and I rocked him back and forth. Many of the other children sat down next to me, also in need of comfort. I stood up, Dumisani still in my arms. "Follow me." I told the others. They did, and we created another fire a little off from everyone. That way they were free to say anything to me…including Dumisani.

"Why do people die?" One of the girls asked when we were all settled. I looked up and thought how to best put what I wanted to say into words.

"…because God has a bigger plan for them. In heaven, they are needed to do so much for Him." I told them. It was the best I could do.

Dumisani kept his arms around me, his eyes never looking away from the fire. "But why my brother?" He suddenly asked. Ouch. Now that was a hard one. Again, I looked up and tried to think of things to say.

"Because God knew that Penha always gave the greatest hugs and He wanted one." Ashanti said as she sat down, her little sister hopping into her lap. Ashanti always had a way of helping me out when most needed in situations like these.

"And after he gives God a hug, then God wants Penha to hug everyone that needs one." I added. Ashanti and I sat at the fire until all of the children were asleep, and their parents had taken them to bed. I was about to head there myself, but Ashanti stopped me.

"Do you hear that?" She asked. I listened closely, but shook my head. She took my hand and led me to the edge of the village. Randa, Penha's older sister, was humming to herself as she swayed in the moonlight. It's light was so bright you could see tears as they came down her face. "I'm going to bed. Stay with her?" Ashanti asked. I nodded as she gave me a hug and a kiss before leaving.

"What is she doing?" For the second time that night, I jumped and glared when I found Draco walking up behind me. "What?" He looked confused.

"Do you _have_ to do that?" A tint of annoyance in my voice. He smirked as he folded his arms and leaned against the tree. Then he looked at me with expectant eyes; I remembered his question, which I was yet to answer. I just turned my head to stare at Randa again. I grinned as I felt his impatience building. Finally, I replied "She's dancing." He gave off an exasperated sigh as if to say he knew that much already. "Don't ask me why she does it. I just know she does it when she's really happy or really sad. You guess which one is for tonight." The tears made her face sparkle.

Draco and I stayed out there most of the night watching her mourn until she finally decided to go to bed.

Ashanti woke me up the next morning. I just groaned and covered my head with the blanket. "Come on. Get up. We have a big day ahead of us." I looked at her through my sleepy eyes.

"It's time for our walk! Remember?" I nodded. "Good. Now get up." She said dragging me out of my cot. I let out another groan when the sunlight hit my eyes.

"What? I can't even get dressed?" I asked walking back in the hut. She laughed and waited for me to change. "There now, that's better." I said, stepping out again. Linking arms, we started on our way, but Ashanti's mother stopped us.

"Ashanti come. We must talk about your wedding." Ashanti groaned.

"Rain check?" She asked. I nodded and she ran off to join her mother. Having nothing to do now, I looked around the village. There was no way I was going back to bed. I was too awake. Children were running around and trying to invent new games. Right now the younger boys were working on trying to get a ring around Tembe's trunk. Tembe loved it so I didn't try and stop them. Then my eyes fell upon the fire from the previous night. Dumisani was curled up next to it again.

"Hey." I said sitting next to him. He looked up, but just continued to hug his legs. I wrapped an arm around him and we just sat there in silence. But his father soon called him over, Dumisani hugging me around the neck before running off. I sighed and resigned to make my way to the hut. I gasped when somebody grabbed me from behind, dragging me toward the trees, their hand over my mouth so as not to make a scene. When they let me go I wasn't all too surprised to find that it was Draco. What did surprise me was the little girl sobbing at his feet. It was Sama, the chief's youngest daughter.

"Fix it." He said as he pointed at her. I looked at him with disgust.

"Fix it?" I asked.

"Yes, fix it." He repeated as if I didn't hear him the first time.

"Draco, she's not a toy; she's a little girl." I said and squatted down to her. "What happened?" I asked. It was directed to Sama, but Draco answered anyway.

"She dragged me over here because she wanted to show me something, but she tripped and started crying. She's been getting on my nerves for the past five minutes." Sama's tears continued to flow as she gripped her knee.

"Thank you, Sama." I said sarcastically to him. He just rolled his eyes and folded his arms. I turned back to Sama. "You ok?" I asked her. She shook her head. I smiled. "Don't cry." I rubbed her knee and kissed it as if a mother would. Soon she stopped crying. "Better?" I asked. Sama nodded and gave me a hug and a kiss before running back to the village. I got up about to head back to the village, but Draco put a hand on my shoulder and turned me around.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"It's a female thing." I shrugged. Again, I started to walk back to the village, but once again Draco turned me around.

"Why do you care so much for them? These people I mean?" He asked with intense eyes.

"Because unlike you, I actually have a heart." I said and he didn't stop me this time as I turned to leave. If there was _anything_ I had learned about the Malfoy's, it was that they only had black holes in the middle of their chest.


End file.
